Very good Zeke, I had written up something that yesterday and decided not to post it, but now that are into this subject, I will put here, it's a good thing that I saved it.

So here it is:

Actually there is something regarding this very thing, and Jesus comes head on with the issue. Matthew 19:3

"The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so."

Multiple wives came about because of the hardness of mens hearts. This is a spiritual lesson here and one to take note. The reason why Israel was given to Idolotry it's because they had this hard heartedness towards the ONE God. By wanting more wives phsyically, they were in essense saying they wanted more gods spiritually.

When Christ came He came to correct this and restore the idea that the SECOND MAN ADAM will be married to only ONE WOMAN EVE the Church. The New Jerusalem is now the Mother of all living (that is all those who have been made alive thru the new birth).

That is why Jesus said, "if your eye be single, then your whole body is full of light", thats because your eye is fixed only on one lover, Christ Jesus and not on another. The words "Love" and "Light" are used interchangeably in the New Testament.

I hope that sheds some light on the subject.

Karl

Thanks for the response people. I do however think some might have missed the spirit of the post though. i was not stating that I litterly have 10 wives nor was i looking for an exposition on what marriage was--simply wondering why there would be levitcial laws goverening multiple wives. mostly because the patriarchs Abe and Jake had mulitiples Isaac ((type and shadow of the bride and christ did not). I will admit i never thought about the statment "from the beginning it was not so" forgive my ignorance. I see satisfactory evidnece that it was indeed tolerated.

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David

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Cindy

....Jesus told the woman at the well that the man she was with now was not her husband. I think it does not take a stretch of scripture here to believe that she was living with a man who she was likely having sex with. Jesus said he was not her husband.

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Cindy

"Those who teach sex=marriage would have to then say that any adultery dissolves the previous union and now obligates them to stick to their new union, and that certainly would be a hard thing to prove with scripture."

Perhaps, Cindy. Thank you for posting. I don't see where adultery would "dissolve" a previous union. But I do see some evidence that a man is obligated to the woman he has sex with for her welfare and well being.

One thing about all of this that has always intrigued me, especially as a man, is that Soloman had 700 wives and 300 concubines. But that did not "seem" to bother God. God commanded him not to take "heathen wives". He ignored God and married them and that was his downfall, for they led him into idolatry.

Wives have a very important influence upon their husbands. Men of this hour are not taught to be as discriminate about their choice of mate as they should be. I know I wasn't, and I've paid dearly for it. I'm not bashing my wife. I'm just stating what I believe to be so. She is good to me. But I did not seek God in choosing her. I don't want to get sidetracked here, but to focus on being obedient to God in all things. If we choose not to be obedient, then we will pay a price, just as Soloman did. It's the leaven that's the problem, you understand. God is a God of purity. He knows full well, that even the slightest bit of dirt will ruin impurity. So does satan know this as well.

When a man finds a good wife, he has found a good thing. But a contentious woman is like a dripping faucet or a foot out of joint.

I want to thank God for all you Godly ladies out there. Bear the burdens of your husband, don't invent your own. Live your life to live God's life by being there for your husband. Present yourself a living sacrafice to God and to your husband, not as a slave, but as a joint heir. Let the Godly leadership of your husband be received by you as leadership from God, sent to you and for you. To God be the glory, now and forever amen.

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D.Miller

Thanks for sharing.

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Cindy

Someone had mentioned the woman at the well, this brings up an intresting point and to further the discussion i do have another question.
First why, did it seem, that men where allowed to have mulitple wives yet wives only one husband?
The second question is, why did God use 4 different women to birth the 12 tribes of israel? (Leah, Rachel and thier handmadiens?) Is there something of a proverb or prophetic illustration I'm missing? sorry to be so persistant but it is like a splinter in my mind.

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David